Why not? JO provides defense, rebounding, interior prescence. Gamble. Its the NBA. You're not going anywhere far with Raaaaaaaaaasho and TJ any damn way. The weakness for Toronto has been what JO strengths are. F*ck it, he does make alot, he has been injured. Roll the dice or stay the soft ass team you are. You wont find help in the draft and you damn sure wont find it via trade.

Show me a better trade rumor out there and I'll gladly STFU.

To be fair, I think that the Raps could put together a lot of decent trade packages. TJ is still a starting PG in a league where lots of teams need one, and the Raps can put together 14 mil in expiring contracts, which as we've seen can go far. The Raps are also going to be sitting pretty on a lot of cap room in the next couple of years.

Like I said, if JO was healthy, I think that this would at the very least be very interesting. The Raps would have their way with most teams in the front court, and they would have all star calibre players at 3 spots. The trade would also look better for Toronto if they can keep the 17th pick and get a guy with potential, or draft their backup PG.

However, it all depends on what is out there trade wise, which is always hard to know at this time.

IF JO is healthy this is a no-brainer deal. It addresses all the Raptor needs in one trade -- rebounding/interior toughness + legit 19-20 pt scorer. He makes a ton of dough and the Raps will be on the hook for 2 more years @ 22 mil . But if he can put the team on the same level as the Pistons or Celtics. It's worth it.

Makes you wonder if this trade goes down how it affects Bargnani. BC staked his rep on him. Is he on the way out?

Can BC then parlay Bargs (and expirers) into that near all-star wingman?

IF JO is healthy this is a no-brainer deal. It addresses all the Raptor needs in one trade -- rebounding/interior toughness + legit 19-20 pt scorer. He makes a ton of dough and the Raps will be on the hook for 2 more years @ 22 mil . But if he can put the team on the same level as the Pistons or Celtics. It's worth it.

Makes you wonder if this trade goes down how it affects Bargnani. BC staked his rep on him. Is he on the way out?

Can BC then parlay Bargs (and expirers) into that near all-star wingman?

I don't think it would automatically kick Bargs out of Toronto. The Raps would have 1-2 years with JO assuming he's here and we do not deal him while he is an expirer. Bargnani has only shown so far that he is pretty much a 6th man type of player as he cannot stay on the floor long enough defensively. Hopefully that window of lesser expectations on him being the second scorer would help him.

It's too bad Garbo is gone, he would have been an ideal contract to match up the salaries without giving up AP (the deal needs around 5 mill to match up).

A healthy Jermaine O'Neal would be a perfect fit in Toronto. No longer would Bosh be the only player in the paint (unless Rasho is playing) rebounding getting knocked around.

If the Raptors don't show signs of winning or being a true contender then Bosh is gone in 2 years. That would cripple the franchise and the Raptors would be rebuilding from nothing once again. The Raptors are going to need to make a risky move at some point and this might just be it. Just make damn sure they have doctors check over Jermaine well.

I don't like including the 17th pick in such a deep draft but you can let a mid 1st rounder be deal breaker. This trade wouldn't even drain the Raptors of all their trade assets either as they'd still have Andrea Bargnani to shop around. Then again, calling him a trade "asset" might be stretching it.

Oh and Diaw sucks. Anyone who wants him in Toronto for any deal including TJ Ford should be shot.

I'm actually have some ties with Toronto and Team Canada, and I know that their freaking out about big men at the moment. They are constantly having trainings and workouts with college big men, big men from top teams to mid majors. Their going to get rid of Primo and Rasho for sure, it's just a matter of who, not when.

I wouldn't mind Jermaine O'Neal. It seems like it could be a new beginning for him, like Shaq and Grant Hill. They both changed their games to fit in with the team (Shaq worked much harder, G.Hill didn't get injured) so that could really be a solid possibility. In the end though, I would want the Raps to get someone young.

No one says that a prime, healthy JO would make this a bad deal. That's not the case. The guy has averaged 50 games a season over the last 4, and makes 20 million a year.

So no, if you think this trade is dumb for Toronto, you are not an idiot.

Actually if you see the contractual agreement it would leave the Raps with a tonne of money in the offseason of '10 (ie's FA's- Lebron, Bosh, and Wade)...in no way harming their flexibility.

IMHO you have to show Bosh your willing to go out and get a star to go along with him and help him out...especially one that bangs and can play C...and is a shotblocking threat. I roll the dice with this. Better than any other trade right now. Especially the Diaw trade. We don't need another soft non rebounder.

according to the fan590 Toronto sports radio, Jermaine Oneal may soon be a Raptor for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and 17th pick. Also there was a column written today about the rumor, which also provides foreshadow that Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors could be up to something big.

Quote:

It’s all very tentative and quite up in the air but the Raptors have already investigated the possibility of a blockbuster trade that would net them a veteran – yet expensive – NBA centre.

According to league sources, Toronto has had talks with the Indiana Pacers about acquiring 29-year-old Jermaine O’Neal for a package that would include T.J. Ford, Rasho Nestervoic and, perhaps, the 17th pick in this week’s draft.

The talks are not the point where any deal is imminent and a deal is certainly not assured but the source said the Raptors are aggressively trying to move Ford and O’Neal is one of their targets.

Toronto also still has serious interest in forward Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns and is in talks with at least three other teams for trades of a similar magnitude.

Quote:

For some reason, I've got a sneaking suspicion that this could be a biggie, lots of rumors and a big deal before the draft. Nothing concrete at the moment but just a feeling.

personally if I'm Indiana, I'm all over this trade, that's amazing value for Jermaine Oneal. Despite being heavily outshined by Jose Calderon, TJ Ford had a very good season shooting career high 47% FG, while being among PG league leaders in Per, plus he's still 25. Rasho is a big expirer, in a Pau Gasol type deal he'd be the main component. Plus the 17# pick in a deep draft, WOW!

For Toronto this deal doesn't make much sense, aside from clearing cap space in a couple years. JO and Raptors are in a different phase, he's a 29 year old injury prone, past all-star, Toronto is a young up-coming team still adding pieces and trying to find an identity.